Attachment-holder for sewing-machines.



J. D. KARLE.

ATTACHMENT HOLDER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 06?. 23. I914.

1,192,818. Patented July 25,1916.

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on s'ras A JOHN D. KARLE, 0F NEWARK, NEVT JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFAC- -TURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ATTACHMENT-HOLDER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed October 23, 1914. Serial No. 868,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OI-IN D. KARLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in'the county of Essex and State of New Jersey have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachment-Holders for Sewing-Machines, of which the'following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide attachment holding means which may be conveniently applied to and removed from the work-plate of a sewing machine and which may be securely held in place for correctly positioning the attachment in the normal operation of the machine.

In its preferred form, the attachment holder comprises a substantially flat plate preferably having a suitable work-engaging element, such as a braid-guide, formed 1ntegral therewith and provided at one side of said element with a pair of spaced and downwardly offset fastened hooks disposed at one side of and directed oppositely from said element with their backs resting against the edge of the sewing machine throat-plate which the body of said plate, overlies and their recesses entered by the bed-plate slide whose adjacent marginal portion is overhung by a portion of the holding plate. By such construction, the attachment may be applied by merely placmg it upon the throat-plate with its hooks depending below the adjacent edge thereof and the bed-plate slide then moved up into the hooks to press them into contact with the adjacent edge of the throatplate, whereby the attachment 1s accurately located relatively to the stitchforming mechanism and is securely held in position with parts thereof resting uponthe upper face of the throat-plate and slideplate, respectively, at opposlte s des of the fastening means by which it is confined thereon. At the side opposite the fastening hooks the holding plate has preferably a depending steadying' stud or pro ection entering an aperture of the throat-plate remote from the needle-hole, whereby the attachment is locatedlengthwise of the edge of the throat-plate, and the holding plate has at the edge adjacent the fastening hooks a tongue or extension slightly downwardly inclined and upturned at the extremity for engagement with the top of the bed-plate slide and serving by said engagement, and with the fastening hooks fulcra, to press the opposite s1de of the holding plate firmly upon the throat-plate and insure engagement of the steadying stud with the throat-plate aperture.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a portion of a sewing machine bed-plate with a braid-guiding attachment embodying the present improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the attachment taken from the under side. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively an edge view and a transverse sectional View of the attachment secured in position by means of the throat-plate and bed-plate slide. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a feed-dog cover-plate attachment embodying the present improveholding plate formed with a straight mem-i 35 ber 9 overlying the end margin of the slideplate 8 and the bowed member 10 mainly overlying the throat-plate and embracing a closed space surrounding the needle-path. The member 10 near its junction with the member 9 is formed with depending or downwardly offset hooks comprising the shank portions 11, and the lateral springlips 12 with their free ends extending toward the outside edge of the straight member 9, these hooks being struck from and formed integral with the body of the holding plate.

The member 10 has formed centrally of its length on its under face the steadying stud or projection 13 which enters an aperture 14 of the throat-plate 3 disposed remotely from and laterally of the needle-hole L. The straight member 9 has uponits edge farthest from the bowed member a tongue or extension 15 which is slightly dished to form an inclined portion adjacent the member 9 and an upturned extremity adapted for engagement with the forward edge of the slide-plate 8 to be deflected upwardly so as to slightly lift the member 9 upon the fastening hooks as fulcra and thereby yieldingly press the member 10 upon the throatplate to insure the maintenance of the stud 13 Within the throat-plateaperture 14 and the body of the holding plate in contact relation with the upper face of the throatplate.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the member 9 is shown provided with an inwardly extending arm 16 having at its inner extremity and in alinement with the needle-hole 4 the braid-guide 17 in the form of a channel open at the bottom with a central rib depending into said channel, as described more particularly in connection with my application Serial No. 782,629, filed August 2, 1913. The member 10 is provided at one side with an elongated aperture 18, upon one side of which is an upwardly extending guide-loop 19 through which the braid may be directed to the guidechannel 17.

In the use of the attachment the bedplate slide 8 having been retracted, the holding plate is placed upon the throatplate with the member 10 overlying the latter and the member 9 disposed slightly beyond the lateral edge of the same and the backs of the shank portions 11 of the fastening hooks resting against the edge of the throatplate and the stud 13 in' register with the throat-plate aperture 14. The work-engaging element 17 thus assumes its correct operative position in alinement with the needle-path, as represented in Fig. 1. The slide-plate 8 is then advanced into operative position, its forward edge engaging the tongue 15 and slightly elevating it and then entering the fastening hooks whose slightly dished spring-lips 12 snugly and yieldingly embrace the marginal portion of the slideplate while the forward edge of the latter clamps the shank portions 11 of the hooks against the adjacent edge of the throat-plate 3, by means of which the holding plate is firmly secured in position and is caused to cling closely to the face of the throat-plate under the resilient action of its component members.

The shank portions 11 of the hooks, in their engagement with the edge of the throat-plate, constitute positively acting positioning elements arranged respectively in advance and rearward of the steadying stud and the work-engaging element relatively to the direction of alinement of the hooks to prevent the lateral shifting of the attachment plate, while the lips 12 of the fastening hooks act in conjunction with the overhanging portion of the plate. including the dished tongue 15, as opposed clamping means for gripping the end portion of the slide-plate at the side of the work-engaging element opposite the steadying stud. As will be observed, the upper and lower parts of these clamping means are adapted for engagement only by the movable slide-plate with which they are entirely out of contact so long as the slide-plate is retracted.

In the form of the attachment shown in Fig. 5, the body of the holding plate comprises a substantially semi circular disk having the central and slightly raised circular work-engaging member 20 serving as a feed-dog cover-plate formed continuously with the bowed portion 3 of the holding plate. In this form of the attachment the work-engaging member is arched similarly to that of the attachment forming the subject of the United States Patent to Charles Stafford, No. 937,112, of October 19, 1909. The portion 3 is provided along its alined straight edges with the downwardly offset or depending hooks 11 12 extending outwardly therefrom and the steadying stud 13 struck therefrom as in the form of the improvement represented in the other figures of the drawing. The work-engaging member 20 has a central needle-hole l and an outwardly projecting tongue or extension 15 similar to that previously described. In this form of the improvement the straight member 9 carrying the tongue is omitted as the work-engaging member 20 is of such form as to readily sustain the same in the same relation to the fastening hooks 11 12 and the stud 13 as in the other form of the improvement.

It will thus be seen that the essentials of the attachment holder are the same for the various kinds of work-engaging elements usually sustained by this class of holders, their form and character being determined by the function which they are required to perform. In any event, the fastening hooks are directed oppositely from the position of the work-engaging element, that is, they project in a direction away from the position which such element occupies in the contour of the plate, while the latter extends above and beyond the throats of the hooks, afforded by the lips 12 and their shank portions, and in the same direction so as to act in conjunction with said lips in gripping the margin of the slide-plate 8. The overhang of the plate relatively to the hooks thus operates to hold the attachmentplate fiat upon the throat-plate or work-support and thereby maintain the straight steadying stud 13 within its aperturelt, this stud being confined within the area of the aperture so as to be readily inserted within and withdrawn from the latter without tilting or otherwise manipulating the attachment for the purpose.

The tongue or extension 15 is a desirable addition to the holding plate in insuring its requisite contact relation with the face of the throat-plate, but it is evident that the character of the fastening hooks 11 12 will have a material influence upon the proper holding of such plate, and that such tongue or extension is not therefore indispensable.

The substantially crescent-shaped attachment holding plate of my pending application Serial No. 782,629, while effective in properly sustaining the work-engaging ele- -ment, has a disadvantage in that in the application of the attachment to the throatplate, it must be tilted in opposition to the spring holding hooks embracing the edge of the throat-plate for registering the steadying pin or stud with the throat-plate aperture, and the holding arm for the workengaging element must be sprung upwardly to escape interference with the feed-dog which is lifted when the needle is elevated for introduction of the attachment. According to the present improvement, the attachment is applied to the throat-plate in perfectly flat condition, the fastening hooks being wholly disengaged from the part which they normally engage until the attachment is properly positioned, when the device is secured in place without substantial distortion of its fastening means and the liability of permanent bending and consequent impairment of their effectiveness.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that the present improvement is not limited to the specific form and construction of the holding plate and its accessories herein shown and described, but is susceptible of material modification within the scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. A sewing machine attachment comprising a plate carrying a work-engaging element and having at one side of said element a depending straight steadying stud or projection and at the opposite side thereof a depending fastening hook extending in a direction away from said work-engaging element, a portion of said plate extending beyond the throat of said hook and in the same direction for cooperation with the lattor in clamping the attachment in place.

2. A sewing machine attachment comprising a plate carrying a work-engaging element and having at one side thereof a depending steadying stud and at the other side thereof opposed clamping elements adapted to engage opposite faces of the usual slideplate and including yielding hooks arranged remotely from each other and in a line and similarly directed transversely of said line and away from said work-engaging element and said steadying stud.

3. A sewing machine attachment comprising a plate carrying a work-engaging element and having at one side of said'element a depending straight steadying stud or pro- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for jection and at the opposite side thereof a depending fastening hook extending in a direction away from said work-engaging element, said plate being provided with a rounded tongue extending downwardly and beyond the throat of said hook in the same direction for cooperation with the latter in clamping the attachment in place.

4. In combination with a sewing machine throat-plate formed with a needle-hole and with an aperture remote therefrom, an attachment comprising a holding plate partially overlying said throat-plate and provided with a work-engaging element and with fastening hooks adjacent and extending away from the same and disposed within the contour of and offset from the lower face of said plate, said holding plate being provided with a steadying projection entering and wholly confined within the area of the aperture of said throat-plate, and a slideplate also partially overlaid by said holding plate and whose edge is adapted to enter said hook and grip the shank thereof against the adjacent edge of the throat-plate.

5. In combination with a sewing machine throat-plate formed with a needle-hole and with an aperture remote therefrom, an attachment comprising a holding plate partially overlying said throat-plate and provided with a work-engaging element and with fastening hooks adjacent and extending away from said element and offset from the lower face of said plate, said holding plate being provided at one side remote from said hooks with a steadying projection entering the aperture of said throat-plate and at the opposite side of said hooks with a downwardly rounded tongue, and a slideplate also partially overlaid by the holding plate and engaged by said tongue-and whose edge is adapted to enter said hook and grip the shank thereof against the adjacent edge of the throat-plate.

6. A sewing machine attachment comprising a plate carrying a work-engaging elefive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

